


Someday

by Ambs_Writes



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Mutual Pining, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Roommates, SHIELD Academy, oh my god they were roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2020-12-24 16:36:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21102593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambs_Writes/pseuds/Ambs_Writes
Summary: A freak accident puts Skye on Shield's radar earlier than expected. With nowhere else to go and nothing to lose, Skye agrees to attend Shield Academy. There she finds friends and a purpose, and Jemma Simmons, her roommate that Skye finds herself falling for. By the end of her first year at Shield Academy, Skye finds herself wishing that someday would be today.





	1. Chapter 1

Skye shivered slightly in the borrowed clothes she wore, cupping the warm cup of coffee she had been given in both hands. She tries to keep herself from touching the cold metal of the table she sit at and instead chooses to hold her cup up closer near her chest. The position allows Skye to focus on the steam rising from the coffee rather than the flickering, too bright light that hands above her. She almost feels like laughing; her situation is so remarkably similar to the old cop shows her last foster family had been so fond of. When the door opens, Skye half expects a grey-haired man with a fedora and a half-smoked cigar hanging from his lips to walk in. Instead, a woman enters with long dark hair haunted, dark eyes.

The woman silently takes her place in the seat opposite Skye, her expression impassive and unreadable. Skye meets the woman’s eyes and quickly looks away, fidgeting with the towel wrapped around her shoulders that she had been using to keep her borrowed clothes dry since her wet hair had been dripping when she arrived there. Without anything else to do – and unable to hold eye contact with the stern looking woman – Skye raised her cup of coffee to her lips and took a long drink. The liquid is still hot enough to burn her tongue, but Skye does her best not to react and drains the cup. She places the now empty cup on the table and folded her hands together in her lap so the other woman can’t see them fidgeting.

“More coffee?” The woman asks after an uncomfortably long stretch of silence. Skye shakes her head and picks at her cuticles. “Do you know you’re here?’

“Under arrest, I guess,” Skye answers without looking up from her hands. “Isn’t that what normally happens in these situations?”

“How often do you think something like this happens?” There’s a hint of something in the woman’s voice, an underlying, almost teasing quality that makes her seem more human.

Skye thinks about how she ended up in this position. She remembers walking into the apartment building she lived in, doing her best to avoid the landlord since she was already three months behind on her rent. She remembers being in a sort of daze, thinking of the information she had uncovered. Skye had been itching to look into her past long before she aged out of the foster system and had finally been able to hack into her records, only to find them heavily redacted by a government agency she had never heard of. Skye didn’t learn anything that she hadn’t already known. She had been angry and confused with no idea how to move forward. Then the building started shaking around her. A few seconds later and the apartments had collapsed in a spectacular, muddy mess as the pipes burst and bricks crumpled. When the dust had cleared, Skye stood alone in the center of destruction completely unharmed except for a trickle of blood running from her nose. The other residents hadn’t been so lucky.

“Not very, I guess.” Skye tried to shake of the memory of her neighbors moaning in pain and focus back on the place she was then. The woman’s next question didn’t help that at all.

“You want to tell me what happened back there?”

“The building collapsed.” Skye mumbled. “I know you want to know how but I don’t know. Everything was fine one second and in pieces the next.”

“Except everything wasn’t fine, was it?” Skye doesn’t think she likes the knowing glint in the other woman’s eye. “Not when you’re behind on rent and highly emotional after learning some disturbing news.”

“I didn’t do this.” Skye says, an uncomfortable weight settling in her stomach at the veiled accusation.

“Maybe not on purpose,” the woman concedes lightly, “but how else would you be the only one uninjured?”

“Luck?”

“You don’t believe that, do you Skye?” The woman quirked one eyebrow, looking for a reaction from Skye at the use of her name.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Agent Melinda May. I work for the Strategic Homeland Intervention and Logistics Division.”

“Never heard of it.” Skye said. Agent May shook her head.

“You have, recently at that. Looking through encrypted files.” Agent May left no room for argument and Skye knew she was busted. Looks like her promised invisible backdoor had been visible after all.

“What do you want from me?”

“We want you to join us.” Agent May says simply.

“Right,” Skye drawls sarcastically, stretching out the last syllable.

“I’m serious, Skye.” Agent May remains completely straight faced as she continues speaking. “We need someone with your attributes.”

“What attributes? The ability to knock down a building?” Skye scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest with a disbelieving huff. May remains silent, watching Skye with a critical eye. A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed before Skye speaks again. “What do you want from me?”

“We want you to train up, but your skills to use.” Skye watches as Agent May leans forward in her seat, resting her forearms on the table. “I know you’re scared and confused. You want answers. We can help you get them, give you a home and purpose while we’re at it. What have you got to lose?”

Nothing. Skye didn’t have anything to lose. No family, no home, nothing but a beat-up backpack and a few sets of clothes. And here was the people she had been looking for answers from, willing to give them to her. For a price, sure, but Skye already had nothing to her name. There wasn’t anything else they could take from her.

“Okay,” Skye agrees after a few minutes of consideration during which Agent May had waited patiently. “I’ll come with you. I’ll train.” Agent May nods like she had expected no other answer. Rising from her seat, May pauses when Skye calls her name. “Why me?”

It’s easy enough for May to read between the lines of Skye’s question. Why choose and orphan with a less than stellar record? Why keep those files a secret? Why choose Skye when there were a million other more qualified people?

“You’ve got potential.” Is all May says before leaving the room with a promise to get Skye a place to sleep for the night. Skye feels lighter somehow, the smallest blossom of her rising in her chest.

~

Joining a government agency requires far more paperwork than Skye expected, which was really something as Skye had expected quite a bit of paperwork in the first place. By the time she finishes with the plethora of legal documents, disclosures and medical forms required, Skye would be happy to never see a pen again. They do have one slight hiccup when it comes to Skye’s name, the issue being that Skye isn’t her legal name. Since she refuses to go by anything other than Skye, another form is required to legally change her name. A little more paperwork later and Shield Academy of Operations gains another cadet by the name of Skye Johnson.

A week later, outfitted with a few new items of clothing and the standard issue supplies given to all first-year academy students, Skye begins the process of moving in to her new dorm. It doesn’t take long for Skye to unpack her meager belongings and she finishes long before the other new students, before her new roommate even arrives. Absent any bedding or toiletries, since all of hers had been destroyed when the building collapses, and with a little bit of money saved up from trying to get together several months’ worth of rent at once, Skye decides to catch a bus to the nearest town.

She picks up a couple of black and grey bedding sets, along with a few good pillows and soft plush blanket that had been too nice to resist before moving to the toiletry section and stocking up there as well. Skye also decides to get an alarm clock and a few other general school supplies, along with a set of luggage that comes with a large duffle bag and a good-sized backpack. Finally, after passing on a leather jacket and grabbing a simple hoodie instead, and a set of shower shoes and some good towels, Skye makes her way to the bus stop and heads back to the academy.

The halls are slightly less crowded when she returns. The parents had all left but the students are milling about in the halls, with most of the dorm room doors open. The door to Skye’s own room is one of the ones open so she makes her way there and steps inside, setting her bags down near her bed before going back and pushing the door closed. As she makes her way back to her bed to finish unpacking, Skye notices the new additions to the room that seem to be courtesy of her new roommate. They mostly consist of a few inspirational posters, a pastel bedspread, and a full periodic table hanging above the bed.

“Oh hello,” Skye turns towards the sound of the accented voice coming from the doorway to the bathroom. “I wondered where you had gone off to. For a moment, I worried that I wouldn’t have a roommate but then I noticed you had your desk set up to I thought you must have stepped out for a moment. I do hope you don’t mind the posters I’ve hung up. I always find their sayings so encouraging.”

“No, they’re fine,” Skye says when her new roomie pauses to take a breath after her babble. “I don’t mind them.”

“Oh wonderful,” the girls offers Skye a smile, one that Skye returns bemusedly.

“I’m Skye,” she says when it becomes apparent that the other girl isn’t going to begin introductions. “Skye Johnson.” She hopes the British girl doesn’t hear the awkward way her new last name falls from her lips.

“Jemma Simmons,” comes the reply as her roommate approaches Skye for a handshake. “I think this is going to be just fantastic, don’t you?”

Skye takes a moment to study Jemma, taking in her pressed cardigan and sensible shoes. She reminds Skye of one of the kids she had met in a foster home as a kid, a piano prodigy that Skye had thought was stuck up and spoiled when they met. Somehow, she didn’t think Jemma would be the same as that kid. Skye offers a half-smile, not quite sure what to make of the girl she’ll be living with for the next eight months. “I hope it is.”

Jemma smiles in return before letting go of Skye’s hand and heading back to finish whatever she had been doing in the bathroom before Skye arrived. She finishes the task quickly, hanging a new shower curtain apparently, and then helps Skye finish getting her bed set up. Jemma keeps up a running commentary as she and Skye fix up their room, talking about her flight from England and the classes she’s enrolled in, what she expects to get out of them. By the time they are done, Skye has learned that Jemma is enrolled of the Academy of Science and Technology, that Jemma already has two doctorates and that her favorite color is teal.

As they each settle into their own beds, Skye tries not to feel horribly outclassed when she admits that she never finished high school. There’s a slight pause in the conversation after the admission before Jemma moves right along with tangent about the merits and various meanings of the color purple, Skye’s favorite color. Finally, Skye reminds Jemma that they have an early start in the morning and they turn the lights off. The bed isn’t the most comfortable that Skye had ever slept on, but it wasn’t the worst either.

“I have a feeling we’re going to be great friends, you and I,” is the last thing Skye hears and she mumbled in agreement as her eyes fall closed.

The atmosphere at Shield Academy was unlike anything that Skye had ever known. The campus was filled with the greatest minds in her generation, doctors and engineers, chemists and biologist, and Jemma and Fitz who were somehow a combination of all four of those, plus the most athletic, strategic, and in some cases scariest people she’s ever met. The best part is, the majority of these people are like her, in that awkward stage between adolescence and adulthood in which the world expects them to have their life figured out and they barely know how to make toast. The result is an amusing mix of seriousness and light-heartedness, at least in the freshmen on campus, which lead to what was apparently a Shield tradition: prank wars. The prank war lasted for a full week and only ended after every new cadet had been pranked at least once. Jemma and Skye received one of the lighter pranks, Fitz and his roommate Mack snuck into their door and switched Jemma’s cardigans with t-shirts that had ridiculous sayings, and Skye’s flannels and jeans with horrendous Christmas sweaters. The girls retaliated by wrapping everything the boys owned in the brightest neon pink paper they could find. The four friends laughed about the incident, both Jemma and Skye keeping the new additions to their wardrobes.

Shield Academy’s hazing ritual over with, Skye settled into her first somewhat normal routine. She’d never had much of a routine to fall into, always bouncing from house to house, orphanage to orphanage. At St. Agnes, Skye had purposely rebelled against any sort of normalization the nuns tried to impose on her, enough so that they eventually left her to her own devices. At Shield, Skye had to adapt to the routine or perish, or fail out, both of which she refused to do. Her mornings started early with mandatory cardio and endurance training which translated to running laps until she puked and then running a few more after the fact. After that was time for a quick shower and breakfast, which she normally enjoyed with Jemma before they each separated for their own classes. The classes Skye took were vastly different from what her old high school counselor said they would be before Skye had dropped out of school. Instead of studying the core subjects, Skye learned the intricacies of espionage, everything from hand-to-hand combat to interrogation methods. Her morning classes focused on the type of information to gather and how to get it, from cameras, questioning, addressing security threats and learning how to fade into the background. After lunch, the classes shifted to the physical side of things with more intensity than the daily cardio and endurance training. This was when Skye studied any and all forms of hand-to-hand combat and weapons training, and how to move swiftly and silently while keeping her heart rate and emotions under control.

The last class Skye had each day was all about the technical side of espionage work, and after three weeks at the Academy, that was the only class Skye felt like she was making any real progress in. She did well physically, according to her trainers and Bobbi, the fourth year student assisting in Skye’s combat classes, but Skye didn’t think she had made any significant progress. Her morning classes were even worse. Skye went in to each lecture feeling lost and confused, a feeling that did change by the end of the lectures no matter how many notes she took.

One evening, while eating dinner with Jemma, Fitz, and Fitz’s roommate Mack, Jemma convinced Skye to admit her struggles in class. Skye tried every trick she could to get out of it, but Jemma wouldn’t let it go. Both girls looked over at Mack, confused, when he started to laugh.

“Okay, so I’m not the only one.” Mack said with another chuckle. “It’s those acronyms man. I can barely remember what SHIELD stands for.”

“See, I knew you wouldn’t be the only one struggling.” Jemma says with a smug smile. Skye had vehemently insisted that she was probably the only one in class trying to keep up that last time Jemma had gotten Skye to talk about it. Skye maturely stuck her tongue out at Jemma in response. “Study group time?”

“Please,” Mack nodded towards Skye. “I’ll email the rest of the class, see if anyone else wants to join.”

To Skye’s great surprise and Jemma’s smug satisfaction, several of Skye and Mack’s classmates were just as much trouble and thus began a new addition to Skye’s routine, spending a few hours a week in the library with her classmates going over lecture notes and making sure they all knew what they needed to. Sometimes, Skye’s group would meet up with Jemma’s and Ftiz’s study group and a round of good-natured teasing would begin. Apparently, it was strange for so many Operations and SciTech students to get along and they were on the receiving end of more than a few strange looks. It felt strange to Skye, to be surrounded by so much light energy while in the company of people who planned to dedicate their lives to working in the shadows. Then again, Skye had never had much experience with friends before. No one wanted to be friends with the orphan girl with a bad reputation. A few weeks at the Academy and Skye started to feel like maybe she really did belong with Shield. Her grades improved along with her physical abilities, to the point that her instructor had her working with Bobbi on advanced form in daily extra training sessions and she had a real friend group for the first time in her life.

She also had Jemma.

Maybe it was a product of living in the same room with Jemma. Afterall, they were bound to either hate or love one another as all roommates do, but Skye hadn’t expected this genuine fondness for Jemma to grow. She thinks it happened in their downtime, the small amount that they had since they were both on the fast track for graduation and that seemed more and more limited as time went on. As the semester progressed, Skye found herself looking forward to their Saturdays, the one day a week when they had any substantial time to relax, which she spent with Jemma watching the greatest science fiction show of all time. Skye could admit that Doctor Who was pretty cool, but she was looking forward to watching the newer runs rather than the older ones. Mostly, Skye enjoyed sitting in either her or Jemma’s bed with a laptop perched between them and listening to Jemma the actual theories behind the science The Doctor used. It was soothing somehow, listening to Jemma talk during these times. Half soothing and half amusing as Jemma spoke so fast she tripped over her words or mashed them together so badly, Skye couldn’t understand her at all. 

Still, these times with Jemma were Skye’s favorite. She didn’t have to worry about her grades or form or strength. She didn’t have to wonder if she belonged at the academy or with Shield at all. With Jemma, Skye felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. 

**~**

Jemma finds that she immensely enjoys the routine she and Skye developed over their first eight weeks at the Academy and she is surprisingly disappointed when their first round of exams disrupts their days. It’s not necessarily a bad thing that Skye spends more time with the ever-changing roster of her study group, or working with her advanced combat instructor Bobbi (who Jemma hasn’t met but for some reason doesn't seem to be fond of) to make sure that she’s in top form for all her exams. Jemma herself increases the hours she spends in the lab with Fitz so it’s not like they could have spent that extra time together. Really, Jemma isn’t sure why not having Skye there at meal times is so upsetting to her. Fitz and Mack were in the same situation but neither of them seemed half as down as Jemma felt. In fact, Fitz seemed a bit more chipper than normal during their increased lab time. 

Skye herself seemed tired and stressed but not as down as Jemma. She came into their room each night with a satisfied smile, greeting Jemma warmly before stepping on the bathroom for a quick shower. When she emerged, Skye would make her way over to Jemma’s side of the room they shared and take a seat on the edge of Jemma’s bed, careful to keep her wet hair from dripping onto Jemma’s blankets. Skye would smile down at Jemma, who usually sat at her desk reviewing notes, and tell her something that had happened that day, or a joke. Then, after making Jemma smile or laugh, Skye would ask about Jemma’s day and listen with a fond smile as her roommate began babbling about what she had been up to in the lab. 

After a week of this, Jemma began to realize how different she felt around Skye. She had always felt a level of comfort around Skye, one that surprised her. She hadn’t felt so at ease with someone other than family, not even Fitz. With Fitz, there had been a period of adjustment, a time where they had to sort of feel one another out until they settled into their friendship. With Skye, it wasn’t that they clicked right away but that it simply felt different. Being around SKye made Jemma feel both calm and excited at the same time. Her aura was soothing and intoxicating all at once. Jemma enjoyed the evenings spent with Skye more than she thought she would, and finds herself looking forward to spending even more time with Skye. 

Like they do every weekend, the Saturday after exams Skye and Jemma set up with some snacks and Skye’s ridiculously soft blanket to watch Doctor Who together. Skye, to sore to move much from her combat exam, groans as she opens her eyes when Jemma asks whose bed they should settle on. 

“Jem, I don’t think I can move.” Skye hears Jemma’s laugh and turns her head to look at her. Jemma holds her laptop in one hand, looking at Skye with a fond sort of exasperation. “Just get over here.” 

“Maybe we should just skip today,” Jemma says lightly. “I know you’re exhausted.” 

“It’s tradition Jemma.” Skye rolls her eyes. “We both know you’re going to graduate early so we only have a year to enjoy this, less than that now.” Skye looks at her roommate through half-open eyes. A sliver of light catches the color of Jemma’s eyes and makes them seem sparkly. Or maybe Skye’s just really tired. “Just c’mere. We just need to lay down instead of sitting up.” 

“Okay, okay, if you insist.” Jemma agrees, rolling her eyes at Skye’s vehement statement that she does, in fact, insist. 

Jemma fights the blush that rises on her cheeks as she crawls into Skye’s bed after Skye scoots back towards the wall. The bed is far too small for the two of them to comfortably lay down this way, but Skye doesn’t seem to mind. They set the laptop across Skye’s legs and Jemma lays on her side with Skye’s shoulder acting as her pillow. Jemma tries to ignore the flutters in her stomach that rise suddenly and keep her normal running commentary of the show going. If that commentary is a little less energetic than normal Skye doesn’t notice, she’s far too busy snoozing the day away. It’s hard for her to not fall asleep, not only does she hurt in places she hadn’t since her first week at the Academy, she had Jemma right next to her. Jemma, who is warm and smells like earl grey and lavender and whose voice Skye had already found soothing even when she wasn’t exhausted. Once she notices that Skye had fallen back asleep, Jemma forgoes her normal commentary in favor of trying to keep herself perfectly still and calm. Skye shifts a bit in her sleep and her arm curls around Jemma’s shoulder, drawing them closer together. It’s when Jemma is trying to keep her heart from beating out of her chest that the realization hits her. 

She isn’t sure how or when it happened, but she can’t deny that it has happened. Jemma, without realizing it had formed a crush on Skye. 

And she has absolutely no idea how to deal with it. 

~

A few weeks after mid semester exams, Skye notices Jemma acting a little differently. It's the little things that Skye picks up on, like Jemma sitting a little further away from Skye when they eat together, or Jemma not holding eye contact with Skye for longer than a few seconds. These things don’t strike Skye as odd, at least not enough to make her question it until she notices that Jemma only acts weird when they are around their friends. When it’s just the two of them alone in their dorm, Jemma seems to have no issue being close to Skye. They continue cuddling up together on weekends to watch movies together after Skye tires of watching the same thing every week. Jemma seems much more relaxed during those times, like she can breathe a little easier. Noticing this, Skye begins to discreetly observe Jemma during their interactions with their friends. A few days of watching Jemma tense up and listening to her increasing babbles, Skye connects each instance back to one common denominator. Or, rather, one common person. 

Fitz.

Jemma must have a crush on Fitz. 

The realization hits Skye in the middle of dinner and she stands abruptly. 

“Skye?” Jemma asks in confusion as Skye begins to gather up her tray and step away from the table. 

“Sorry, I have a question for Bobbi,” the hastily made up excuse rolls of her tongue. She can’t be near Jemma right then, not with the knowledge of Jemma’s crush fresh on her mind. She isn’t so sure why her realization feels like a stab to the heart. “I’ll see you guys later.” 

“Bye, Skye,” Fitz says with a cheery smile and a friendly wave. Skye pauses for half a second before smiling back at him and walking off. Her three friends watch as Skye dumps her tray in the receptacle near the door and walks out. 

“That was weird.” Mack comments lightly, noticing that Fitz seems wholly unaffected by Skye’s abrupt departure. Jemma, on the other hand, sports a small frown and merely picks at her meal for a moment before leaving herself. Watching Jemma leave, Mack laughs lightly. 

“They had no idea.” Mack says, mostly to himself but Fitz hears as well. 

“You see it too?” There’s a sad lilt to Fitz’s voice. 

“Yeah,” Mack pats his roommate on the shoulder. “Sorry, bud.” 

“It’s okay.” Fitz mumbles, fully aware that Mack was talking about the crush Fitz himself had on Jemma. “I think they’ll be good together, if they ever figure it out.” 

Mack agreed but didn’t vocalize it. He knew Fitz was putting on a brave face, but the Scottish man was devastated Jemma didn’t return his affections. 

After that incident at dinner, Skye kept to herself for the last four weeks of her first semester at the Academy. Now that she was aware of Jemma’s feelings for Fitz, it became much easier to ignore her own growing feelings for her roommate. It helped that Skye had been approved to move ahead a year in the program since she had shown such promise as a field agent and her work load nearly tripled so Skye didn’t have much time to worry about anything other than her assignments. Jemma was spending less time in the dorm as well as finals approached, which made avoiding the situation that much easier. Skye was able to use studying for her increased tests as an excuse to cut their Saturday marathon sessions short, which helped her resist the urge to bring up Jemma’s crush, or do something really stupid like kiss Jemma herself and admit her own feelings. 

The end of the semester approached rapidly and before either of them realized it was passing so fast, they were spending their last Saturday in their room together before the Christmas holidays. Skye would be spending the next two and half weeks alone in their dorm as one of the few students who’d elected to stay on campus for the holidays. Jemma would be travelling back to England in the morning to spend Christmas and New Year’s with her family. 

There was an air of awkwardness around them as they curled up in Skye’s bed to watch The Grinch together in honor of the Christmas season. Things hadn’t felt quite right between them since that day in the cafeteria, Skye hoped that spending some time apart would help ease the tension a bit and maybe help her get over her crush or, at the very least, get her feelings under better control. 

“You excited to see your family?” Skye asks after the movie ends, while Jemma busies herself with finishing packing for her trip. Skye pretends not to notice that Jemma had slipped one of the horrible Christmas sweaters that Fitz and Mack had pranked them with at the beginning of the semester into her bag along with a few of her other cardigans. 

“Yes, of course,” Jemma smiled, “though I’m not looking forward to the flights. Horrible jetlag.” 

“I’ll bet.” Skye laughed. Shuffling her feet nervously, Skye pulled a medium sized wrapped box from beneath her bed and held it with both hands. She suddenly felt nervous at the thought of presenting Jemma with the present, but she refused to back down. “Hey, Jem?” 

“What is it? What’s that?” Jemma asked upon turning around and spotting the box in Skye’s hands. 

“I got you something. It’s not much but, well, I thought since we aren’t going to see each other until after Christmas, you can have it now.” Skye explained, hating the unsure quality to her voice. Jemma looked at Skye with soft eyes, turning to rummage in her own des for a moment before facing Skye again with a smaller box in her own hands. 

“That sounds like a great idea,” Jemma said and held out the box for Skye to take. 

Presents exchanged, Skye gestured for Jemma to open hers first. Jemma did so and pulled out a soft, white blanket, identical to the one currently draped across the back of Skye’s desk chair on the other side of the room. Jemma smiles slightly and runs her fingers across the impossibly soft blanket. 

“I noticed that you get cold easily.” Skye explains with a faint blush covering her cheeks. “And that you love to steal my blanket when we watch t.v. and stuff together. Now we’ll have one on both sides of the room.” 

Jemma laughed quietly, placing the folded blanket in her travel bag before turning back Skye and pulling her into a hug. Jemma was surprised and touched that Skye had noticed such a small detail about her, and the simple gift warmed her heart. “Thank you Skye, I love it.” 

“You’re welcome, Jem.” Skye tried to ignore how right it felt to hold Jemma in her arms and simply squeezed her around the waist once before letting go. 

“Now you,” Jemma picked up the box containing her gift to Skye and pushed it into her hands. Skye pulled the wrapping paper off and opened the box. Inside, she found a silver chain with an embossed pendant that contained an image of a starry night sky. 

“I remember what you said about the stars,” Jemma explained, taking the necklace out of the box and helping Skye put it on. “How you could see them through the window at St. Agnes and it helped you not feel so alone.” 

Skye played with the pendant now hanging from her neck, remembering the night she had told Jemma about that. They had been walking from the library to the dorms with the stars shining brightly overhead. There hadn’t been a cloud in the sky. The story about her childhood had fallen from Skye’s lips before she could stop it and she had waited for the pitying remark life had taught her to expect. It never came. Jemma had simply agreed on the beauty of the stars before they continued on their way. Now in their dorm, Skye turned back to Jemma who was wearing a nervous smile. 

“Now you can see the stars all the time.” Jemma finishes the explanation and twists her fingers together as she waits for Skye’s reaction. 

Skye wants to kiss her, every part of her feels as if she’s reaching for Jemma. She’s close enough that Skye could do it, could close the few inches between them. She’d barely have to move to do it. Skye glances down at Jemma’s lips and for a second she throws caution to the wind. She starts to lean in but then, she remembers Jemma’s crush on Fitz and at the last second changes the angle she’s moving at. Her lips land on Jemma’s cheek instead of her lips and Skye tries not to drown in the crushing weight of her own disappointment. Instead, Skye wraps her arms and Jemma again and acts as if she had never intended to do anything other than hug Jemma. 

“Merry Christmas, Jem.” 

“Merry Christmas, Skye.”


	2. Chapter 2

For three weeks, Jemma wondered if Skye had actually nearly kissed her that night or if it had been a product of Jemma’s own imagination. She thought about those moments often in the dark of her childhood bedroom, which seemed oddly quiet without Skye’s rhythmic breathing on the other side of the room. Jemma replays that moment over and over again. She can almost feel the warmth of Skye’s body so close to her own, the ghost of Skye’s lips against her cheek. Jemma wonders what might have happened if she had turned her head just the slightest bit and Skye’s lips would’ve brushed against her own. Part of her wished that Skye had kissed her and that Jemma had had the courage to act on her feelings for Skye. The other half of Jemma is relieved, because if they had kissed and Skye regretted it, Jemma didn’t know what she would do. She’d rather have Skye in her life as a friend than not have Skye in her life at all. 

Still, Jemma spent the majority of her winter break wondering how to handle her growing affection for Skye, seeing as they hadn’t gone away or diminished even a little bit over the course of the two months that Jemma had been aware of her feelings. She does her best to remain focused when with her parents and siblings, but when she’s alone Jemma dedicates her time to planning what she will do when she returns to the Academy. After all, Jemma is a scientist, so when Jemma has no plan she creates one using the tried and true scientific method. A series of steps to take is exactly what Jemma needs. A methodical way to approach the possible deepening of her relationship with Skye. She would begin by admitting her feelings and then ask Skye to spend a night out with her at the end of which, if Skye accepted the invitation, Jemma would properly kiss Skye and thus would begin a hopefully beautiful relationship. 

Jemma spent the plane ride back across the Atlantic ocean wondering when she would set her plan into motion. There were many variables to consider, after all, beginning with the fact that Skye may not have any romantic inclinations towards women and even if she does, that doesn’t mean Skye would be interested in Jemma. Then there was the logistics of dating one's roommate to consider. Perhaps Jemma should open with a conversation, slipping her preference for women rather than men in as casually as possible to see how Skye responds. 

Whatever plan Jemma has faded away as soon as she sees Skye again. Skye’s in their dorm room when Jemma gets back to the Academy. She’s dressed in sweatpants and a standard-issue SHIELD athletic shirt, her feet bare and hair flowing down her back like a chocolate waterfall. Jemma could just barely make out a glimmer of silver around Skye’s neck. She looks stunning and the way she lights up when Jemma enters their room makes her seem even more beautiful. 

“Jemma!” Skye greets as her roommate enters the dorm. Skye climbs off her bed and helps Jemma with her bags before pulling the smaller girl into a hug. 

“It’s good to see you, too, Skye.” Jemma chuckled slightly as she returned Skye’s hug. 

“How was your flight?” Skye asks, leaning against Jemma’s bed while Jemma herself begins to unpack. 

“Fine, just as boring as last time. It was good to see my family, though.” Jemma replies as she pulls out the blanket Skye had gifted her with before she left and drapes it over her desk chair. “They want to meet you, you know? Especially my youngest brother. He thinks that anyone who can stand sharing a room with me must have superpowers.” 

Skye laughed at Jemma’s comment and after Jemma finished unpacking and put her bags away, Skye followed Jemma’s lead and climbed up onto her bed so they both sat with their backs resting against the wall. 

“How was your break?” 

“It was okay.” Skye shrugged. “Went to a party on New Year’s. I met someone there.” 

“Oh?” Jemma hopes her voice doesn’t betray the way her heart shatters at Skye’s words. 

“Yeah,” Skye shrugs again and fiddles with her fingers. “She was nice, pretty. We had Espionage 101 together.” Skye looks at Jemma as if she’s trying to gauge her reaction. Jemma isn’t sure how to respond for a moment and clears her throat before speaking. 

“Well, are you going to see her again?” 

“I don’t think so,” Skye responds and looks away from Jemma down at her hands. “I mean, we just didn’t…” 

“Didn’t what?” Jemma regretted the question as soon as it fell from her lips, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer or not. 

“There just wasn’t much of a connection there, you know?” Jemma nodded her head in agreement and gave Skye what she hoped was a sympathetic smile when they made eye contact. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re tired, dealing with the time change and all that. I’ll let you rest.” 

Skye patted Jemma’s leg gently and then crawled off Jemma’s bed. Jemma watched as Skye picked up the book she had been reading before Jemma arrived and settled back into her bed after checking that the door was locked and turning off the main overhead light. Skye read by the light of her lamp as Jemma watched silently, fighting to stay awake for a few more minutes. Skye had gone out with someone else, but only once. Did Jemma actually have a chance to be with Skye the way she wanted to? Would Jemma be brave enough to try? 

As she fell asleep, Jemma hoped the answer to both of those questions would be yes. 

~

Skye’s second semester at Shield Academy started with much less paperwork than the first. That was probably due to the fact that Skye hadn’t accidentally destroyed an apartment complex - not that Skye was sure that had been her fault in the first place. Still, the past few months had been the first time in Skye’s life that she felt like she belonged somewhere. She had a purpose, people who believed in her, teachers and friends alike. And, she had Jemma. Not exactly the way she wanted to have Jemma, but Jemma as a friend was better than no Jemma at all. 

Their routine had to change, Jemma’s lab time had extended so she ended up taking her lunch an hour after Skye did. Skye thought that may have been a good thing. It helped her remember that she and Jemma were just friends and allowed Jemma to spend more time with her friends in her own branch of the school, namely Fitz. Skye was sure Jemma still had a crush on Leo and also thought that it was reciprocated. She figured it was only a matter of time before Fitz and Simmons started dating and Skye was relieved to not have a front-row seat the blossoming romance. It was hard enough to watch from where she sat already. 

“All I’m saying is that he should have been more careful,” Jemma’s voice pulled Skye from her thoughts as she and Fitz sit down at her table for dinner. Jemma sat to Skye’s left while Fitz walked around to sit across from them. 

“Aw, c’mon Jemma,” Fitz scoffed, “it was an honest mistake.” 

“Yes, an honest mistake that could have gotten us blown up.” Jemma rolled her eyes. 

“Wait, what?” Skye’s question went unnoticed by both scientists sitting with her. 

“Oh, you’re exaggerating. We might have gotten a little burnt but not blown up.” 

“Please, Fitz, let’s not forget who the chemist here is. If the neutralizing agent hadn’t been added, we all would have gone boom.” 

“Okay, timeout,” Skye held her hands up in the shape of ‘T’ Jemma and Fitz paused their bickering and turned to look at Skye. “Why are you going boom?” 

Fitz and Simmons began to talk over one another in a way that didn’t flow as well as it normally did. Skye couldn’t follow a word either of them said and raised her voice slightly to be heard above them. “One at a time. Jem?” 

“A slight mix up today in lab. According to Dr. Smith, it happens at least once every year.” 

“Someone almost gets blown up every year?” Skye asked incredulously. 

“The keyword here is ‘almost’” Jemma said cheerfully. 

“Yeah, the professor handled it no problem.” Fitz agreed in a voice equally as cheerful. Skye looked back and forth between the two of them, blinking slowly. A beat of silence passed. 

“And you two say field agents are weird.” 

“Oh just wait until you start weapons training. Then, I’m sure you’ll have a near fire or two of your own.” Fitz said, still in that cheery tone. 

“Hopefully not.” Skye and Jemma spoke at the same time, making Fitz roll his eyes. Then, in a softer voice, Skye continued, “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m perfectly fine, Skye,” Jemma replied, squeezing Skye’s hand gently. Skye was almost startled by the action, she hadn’t even noticed when their hands linked. “I promise.” 

Jemma held Skye’s gaze for a moment before they both looked away. Fitz doesn’t see the look that passes between Jemma and Skye but he does notice that they both eat one-handed for the rest of the meal. 

~

“They can’t really be this oblivious, can they?” Mack asks skeptically. He, Fitz, Skye, and Jemma were sitting on the grounds of the Academy on a Friday afternoon, having completed their second round of midterms. The quad was was fairly packed, most of the underclassmen waiting to see the celebratory light show the seniors had put together as a last hurrah before finals. Apparently, Shield Academy had quite a few traditions. 

“I’ve been saying that all year,” Fitz replied. Both he and Mack were watching Skye and Jemma blatantly flirt with one another. The two girls sat close together on a blanket, talking and laughing without notice of the world around them. 

“Simmons is a literal genius,” Mack said. “And Johnson is the best field agent in our class. How can they both miss something so obvious?” 

“You keep asking me questions like you think I have an answer.” Fitz flopped onto the grass, he hadn’t thought to bring a blanket as the girls had. “They’ll figure it out eventually.” 

“Wanna bet?” 

Fitz sat up again and quirked an eyebrow at his roommate. “They only have two months left. Jemma and I are both graduating early.” 

“My question still stands.” Mack stretched his legs out, holding his upper body up with his arms stretched out behind him. Fitz looked over at the girls still giggling together and then nodded. “I give them a month.” 

Fitz shook his head. “Last day of term.” 

“You think it will take them that long?” Mack leaned forward a bit. Fitz nodded his head. 

“Those two? Of course, it will take that long.” 

Mack laughed. “Alright. It’s a bet.” 

The roommates shook hands and laid back on the grass to wait for the fireworks. 

“Oh, would you relax Skye. I’m sure you did just as good as you’ve done on every other exam you’ve taken since you got here.” Jemma rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder against Skye’s. 

“No, I think my form was off. Actually, I know it was.” Skye returned the shoulder bump. 

“You’re overly critical of yourself. Your form is perfect.” Jemma can feel the blush rising on her cheeks as she realizes how flirtatious that had sounded. Once again, she can feel her well thought out plan to start something with Skye fall to pieces as her brain turns to mush whenever she’s around the girl. 

“Admire my form often do you?” Skye’s tone is just as flirty and Jemma is grateful that she’s already sitting down, otherwise she might have gone weak at the knees and fallen. Jemma feels the heat on her cheeks increase but gathers up enough courage to respond with, 

“Well, can you blame me?” Skye’s skin darkens slightly with her blush and Jemma clears her throat. “I mean, there is a reason you were moved up a year. You can’t graduate early with bad form.” 

“Says the girl graduating three years early.” Skye bumps Jemma’s shoulder again. 

“Exactly, so you know that I’m right.” 

“You haven’t been wrong before,” Skye admitted, but she suddenly seemed more downcast. 

“Skye? Is everything okay?” Jemma, of course, noticed that was her friend’s mood had soured. Skye nodded mutely in response. 

The sudden realization that she only had two months left with Jemma hit Skye like a ton of bricks. Somehow, it hadn’t registered until then that having Jemma around was always going to be temporary until they started talking about the future. They were headed in different directions, in the same agency, sure, but with little chance of them ever truly working together. Jemma was headed for a pristine lab with Fitz by her side, guaranteed to produce stunning technological advancements. Skye was headed to the fast-paced and dangerous work of a specialist. 

“Skye?” Jemma asked again, watching the deep frown form on the other woman’s face. Skye looked up at Jemma and erase her frown with a carefree smile faster than Jemma could blink. 

“Sorry, guess my mind took off for a second.” 

“Are you okay? 

“Yeah,” Skye lied. She pushed the heartbreak she felt at her realization down, swallowing the emotion in her throat. She was going to lose Jemma before she had even really found her. Before they had a chance to be anything other than friends and roommates. “I think the show is starting soon.” 

Jemma didn’t look wholly convinced but turned her attention to the sky anyway. The air above the Academy exploded with light in all colors. They shifted and morphed into familiar patterns, something for each branch of the Academy: SciTech, Operations and Communications, before ending with a silver model of the Shield logo. It was a truly dazzling display that Jemma could not focus on no matter how hard she tried. Instead, she found herself wondering why Skye suddenly felt so far away. 

~

Jemma was running out of time. Days and weeks passed by far too quickly, any semblance of a routine destroyed by the last mad dash towards graduation. Final exams were taken and graded, endless piles of paperwork filled out and filed as the newest batch of Shield agents prepared to join the agency at large. Assignments were handed out to be reviewed and accepted. Jemma would be headed to Washington D.C. after graduation to work at the huge Shield headquarters there. Fitz had also been assigned to the Triskelion and Jemma was happy to know she would have one of her friends with her. 

Skye had sat quietly at her desk, watching Jemma take down the motivational posters Skye had gotten so used to seeing over the past year. Most of Jemma’s clothing had already been packed, as were the items she kept on her desk. It wouldn’t take long to finish getting her things together after the graduation ceremony. Knowing Jemma, Skye figured she would finish packing in the morning rather than the afternoon. Which meant that Jemma would be able to leave that much sooner. 

“Ready to move on Dr. Simmons?” Skye questioned lightly. Her own side of the room was untouched since she was staying at the Academy over the summer. She didn’t have anywhere else to go. 

“It is quite exciting.” Jemma folded her last poster neatly and placed it in the open box at her feet. Then she turned to Skye with a sad sort of smile on her lips. “There are some things here that I will miss.” 

The way Jemma looked at her made Skye feel strangely exposed. She spun her desk chair around so she wouldn’t have to look at Jemma. “The food here is pretty good.” 

The joke falls flat. Skye clears her throat and braces herself to turn around and face Jemma again. Jemma is standing much closer than she had been before so Skye finds herself looking up to meet Jemma’s eyes. 

A moment passes where Jemma looks nearly heartbroken. Her eyes are watery and she takes a deep, steadying breath. Skye lifts herself from her chair so they stand face to face. She feels like she’s moving in slow motion, her arms weighed down and heavy as if they were filled with lead, but she pulls Jemma into a hug. Jemma melts against her. It feels different, like Jemma’s holding on tighter than normal. Skye doesn’t ever want to let go but she knows she has too. They pull apart slowly. 

“Want to watch a movie? For old time’s sake.” Skye steps around Jemma to grab her laptop from her nightstand. “Your pick.” 

“That sounds lovely,” Jemma says and excuses herself to quickly change into pajamas. Skye does the same. Moments later the two of them are curled together in Skye’s bed, the laptop resting across Skye’s thighs the only source of light in the room. 

Jemma falls asleep a few moments into the film, using Skye’s shoulder as a pillow. Skye watches the movie without taking in a single detail. All she can focus on is Jemma’s breath against her neck, the arm Jemma had thrown across her waist. The movie ends and Skye puts her laptop away with as little movement as possible. She considers waking Jemma up but decides against it. She wants to savor this, having Jemma close enough to feel her heartbeat. One last time, Skye lets herself wonder what things would be like if she had kissed Jemma that night before Christmas. If she had given in, maybe Jemma would have stayed. But Skye didn’t want to hold Jemma back. Skye had never been anyone’s first choice and she didn’t expect that to change any time soon. Still, Skye fell asleep with the bitter taste of regret on her tongue. 

When she wakes up, Skye is in her bed alone. Jemma’s bedding is packed up with the rest of her belongings, a neat stack of boxes by her bed. Jemma stands in her graduation robes, looking at her reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on their bathroom door. She’s excited, Skye can tell, her smile wide and free. Their eyes meet in the mirror and Skye wants to say something, anything, to admit her feelings, to scream them out loud. She doesn’t say a word.

“You’re coming to the ceremony, right?” Jemma asks later on her way out the door. 

“Of course Jem,” Skye calls from the bathroom where she’s putting the final touches on her makeup on. “I wouldn’t miss this.” 

Skye can hear the smile in Jemma’s voice as she calls out a goodbye. The door closes softly just before Skye emerges from the bathroom. The dorm looks empty Jemma’s things gone. Knowing that her new roommate would be there soon with her own decorations to fill the empty space didn’t make Skye feel any better. She didn’t want a new roommate or someone to replace the friend she was losing. Jemma would always be irreplaceable. 

~

The ceremony was over in what felt like the blink of an eye. The graduates were agents now, with the credentials to prove it. Skye had met Jemma’s family, her parents and younger siblings had made the trip across the ocean for the occasion. They’d be helping Jemma move into her new place in D.C. before they left, had rented a truck to haul Jemma’s things. Skye wished she could go with them too. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye. 

With all the extra hands, it didn’t take long to move Jemma out. As her younger brother carried the last box down to the truck, Jemma did one last survey of the room. 

“Looks like you got everything,” Skye commented, holding her hands behind her back so Jemma couldn’t see the way she fidgeted with them. 

“Yes, it appears that way.” 

It’s just the two of them in the room. Skye can feel the sting of tears in her eyes and cursed herself for not having a better hold on her emotions. 

“I’m gonna miss you.” Skye hates the way her voice shakes. Jemma moves closer, reaching to wipe away the tears that fall from Skye’s eyes. Her hand slides to the back of Skye’s neck and pulled her in for a hug. 

“I’ll miss you too.” Jemma’s voice is just as watery. “But we’ll see each other again, yeah?” 

Skye nods against Jemma’s neck. “Yeah. Someday.” 

Jemma pulls back but her hand remains cupping the back of Skye’s neck. Their eyes meet and a million words pass in the silence that stretches between them. 

Apologies, regrets, assurances, promises. All left unspoken. 

Neither can tell who leans in first but they find it doesn’t matter. Skye’s arms encircle Jemma’s waist as their lips meet. It’s everything Skye ever wanted in a kiss and so soft, a gentle caress that ends far too soon. Skye licks her lips when they part and taste from the tears falling freely now. 

“Someday,” Jemma says the work like a promise, one full of hope and love. Her eyes fall closed as Skye leans in again, kissing Jemma’s forehead so softly Jemma fears she imagined the motion. 

“Someday.” Skye returns the promise with just as much emotion and lets her eyes fall closed. 

Jemma is gone with Skye opens her eyes again. In her absence, Skye feels empty, hollow. She collapses onto the floor, leaning against her bed and wishing with all her heart that ‘someday’ had meant ‘today.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I didn't have this up yesterday! Life sorta got in the way but better late than never, right? I hope y'all enjoyed part 2 and thank you for the lovely comments and kudos on part 1. Thanks in advance for any comments/kudos on part 2, I really appreciate them. 
> 
> I'm not sure yet if I will be expanding on this universe. If I do, it will be posted as a separate fic and I'll create a series to link the two. 
> 
> As always, feel free to come yell at me over on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ambs-writes)

**Author's Note:**

> I found this written in an notebook and typed it up, and then thought I would share this with y'all. I split this into two parts since it's just over 9k words in total and I'm trying to break my habit of posting ridiculously long one-shots. I hope y'all enjoyed the first part, part two will be up next Sunday (10/27/19). 
> 
> As always, feel free to come yell at me over on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ambs-writes)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
